Payment through Paypal - Is it ok?

yobr

The brother in law is selling a Harley Davidson online. He got an email from a guy in Sweden saying he will purchase the bike and arrange transport but he is working away so can't see the bike.

He says he will pay by paypal as its quick and secure. Is this to good to be through? Is their any possible downsides to this? Just Ive heard of so many scams...Thanks

bazz26

Sounds like a scam to me.

naughtysmurf

Yes, I'd say it's a scam, threads on this type of pay pal scam have been on here before

dmc17

yobr wrote: »

The brother in law is selling a Harley Davidson online. He got an email from a guy in Sweden saying he will purchase the bike and arrange transport but he is working away so can't see the bike.

He says he will pay by paypal as its quick and secure. Is this to good to be through? Is their any possible downsides to this? Just Ive heard of so many scams...Thanks

The only downside is that you'll be left without a bike and money. Tell them where to go. It's a well known scam.

Falcon L

Suggest that the bike will be released when the funds have been removed from PayPal to your (BILs) bank account.

Watch them run.

peter bermingham

Scam stay clear

ScouseMouse

SCAM Run like hell.

anvilfour

yobr wrote: »

The brother in law is selling a Harley Davidson online. He got an email from a guy in Sweden saying he will purchase the bike and arrange transport but he is working away so can't see the bike.

He says he will pay by paypal as its quick and secure. Is this to good to be through? Is their any possible downsides to this? Just Ive heard of so many scams...Thanks

The big worry for Paypal is in chargebacks... Paypal can implement a chargeback if the buyer complains that the transaction was fradulent and there's not a whole lot you can do.

I have spoken with sellers on eBay who insist on waiting ten working days after funds have cleared to make sure that the account is kosher.

Having said this I find it very implausible that someone who is working away from Sweden would take it upon themselves to purchase a bike in Ireland they've never seen and send a stranger money!

Nodster

Well known scam, they have been known to offer above the asking price to secure a sale - it's ironic that most of these scamsters appear to be working away from home....usually at sea.

Run a mile :eek:

Interesting note on the paypal site - What's not Covered?
Intangible items like services, real estate, motorized vehicles (of any kind), custom made items, travel tickets, industrial machinery (for manufacturing), prepaid or gift cards, anything you buy in person, or items that violate PayPal's policies or eBay’s policies. You must open a dispute within 180 days or you will not be covered.

anvilfour

You could always ask for payment in Bitcoin if doing long distance transaction... that's not reversible if used correctly... it's fairly trivial to change them back into cash!

colin120

If I was you buddy I'd leave it. The same situation happened to me before. Ignore it.

Wonda-Boy

I will give your brother 1 million butter vouchers, unfortunately I too am working away in South Africa (against my will) but its all good.

yobr

Thanks folks.....

nc19

One of the oldest scams of the modern age. How people still don't know about them is beyond me...........tell your brother I am the king of a little country called Ntacontryland and I need him to mind $40073988163788.87 for me. All I need are his accounts deets and his mother's maiden name........

Dexter Bip

yobr wrote: »

Thanks folks.....

I've bought lots of cars and bikes in the UK on eBay. Always paid a modest deposit via PayPal and collected the item ( sometimes weeks later ) with cash on hand when I was able to travel. Never a problem. Maybe that's the way to go. Maybe it's a genuine buyer or maybe not. Cash always works.

Cienciano

Scam.

mid

Falcon L wrote: »

Suggest that the bike will be released when the funds have been removed from PayPal to your (BILs) bank account.

Watch them run.

Not good advice, the scammer would llikely have no problem with waiting. In case somebody else reading this would think the money is safe once its in their own bank account

What usually happens is the scammer is using somebody elses paypal account illegally and he will actually make payment either using their paypal balance or the credit card associated with the account.

Once paypal are informed that the transaction was fraudulent, the transaction is reversed and the BILs paypal account will have a negative balance (if he already removed the funds)

So now the BIL will owe this amount to Paypal

Cienciano

Don't even reply. The only persons whose time you'll be wasting is your own. Scams always involve a buyer/seller out of the country.

anvilfour

Cienciano wrote: »

Don't even reply. The only persons whose time you'll be wasting is your own. Scams always involve a buyer/seller out of the country.

I can just about believe you might see an item which interests you while on holiday and have sold to people for whom that's true. However when they've contacted me, they've asked me to simply hold the item until they get back so they can inspect it, rather than offer to send money upfront!

I try to be accommodating but since it doesn't really matter who you sell to so long as you get the money, I just say first come, first served, am sure OP will have no problem selling this for cash in hand!

Mesrine65

There are many different scams about but the main focus of them all is to persuade a seller to part with their goods for sale or their money by promising payment or delivery.

Two common scams are...

1/ A seller receives a text asking for their email address.

They then receive an email saying the buyer wants to pay by money transfer (Western Union or PayPal), is based abroad & will arrange transportation costs.

The seller loses the goods for sale and doesn’t receive any money.

2/ A buyer is asked to pay for goods by money transfer (Western Union or PayPal).

They receive confirmation from a fake shipping company with a professional looking website that the goods are en route.

The buyer loses their money & doesn’t receive any goods.